


On the Path

by CubbieGirl1723



Series: The Path [2]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, College, F/M, Karaoke, LV AU WEEK, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 15:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18075935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CubbieGirl1723/pseuds/CubbieGirl1723
Summary: Logan visits Veronica at Stanford for Spring Break.A sequel to my Christmas fic, A New Path.





	On the Path

**Author's Note:**

> This is less AU and more canon divergence, but it fits the prompt--Dance With Me--so I'm posting it anyway. 
> 
> Thanks to Laeti, who read my original work and said, "You should write a sequel." Here you go!

Over the quiet music playing on the stereo, Veronica hears someone at the door. She had the volume turned down and was expecting his knock, but it still causes a flutter of excitement in her chest. She forces herself to walk—not run—over to the door to her apartment and checks the peephole. She consciously wipes the huge, goofy grin off her face and replaces it with her best poker face, a Mona Lisa-style smile, while she nervously smooths her wavy hair and runs her slightly sweaty palms down the sides of her jeans. She takes a deep breath, tugs on the hem of her fitted black t-shirt, and turns the locks. 

 

Logan, apparently, isn’t worried about showing his excitement. She opens the door to see his brown eyes sparkling and a genuine smile curves up his mouth. With his frayed jeans and tight forest green Henley, he is a more-than-welcome sight on her doorstep. 

 

Her efforts to be chill go unnoticed as he scoops her up in a giant hug and spins her around, feet flying out behind her. She can’t help but laugh at his antics. He sets her down and tucks an errant strand of hair behind her ear. 

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hey there.”

 

Veronica and Logan had reconnected over Christmas break, thanks to Wallace, a Hearst party, and a sprig of mistletoe. They had hung out—and shared a few kisses—while she was home in Neptune but this was the first time they’d seen each other since classes resumed. They’ve talked on the phone and texted a lot but they have yet to really define their relationship. Friends, obviously, with the potential for more but...now that he’s here, Veronica’s stomach is doing flips. She thought that because she’s known Logan practically forever that he couldn’t make her nervous anymore, but apparently she was wrong. 

 

She clears her throat to try to cover her awkwardness. 

 

“So. Good trip?”

 

“Mmm-hmm.” He drops his hands from her waist and takes a step back, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“You want the grand tour?” She spreads her arms wide to encompass her apartment. 

 

“Of course.”

 

Logan lets the strap of large athletic duffel bag fall off his shoulder and the bag—black, emblazoned with the three stripes of the Adidas logo—lands on the floor by the door. 

 

Veronica eyes it suspiciously. “Did you join the soccer team without telling me?”

 

“Wallace.” He gestures like that explains everything. At her raised eyebrows, he continues. 

 

“Apparently ‘normal people’ don’t travel with matching Louis Vuitton luggage sets. He was giving me a hard time about not being a typical college student.”

 

Veronica laughs at the thought. 

 

“God, I miss him. I’m a little jealous that you get to see him so often.”

 

“Mac, too,” Logan brags. “You should come visit soon. You know you’d have fun.” He raises his eyebrows at her enticingly.

 

She laughs sarcastically. “Oh, the joys of Neptune. I’m not sure ‘fun’ is the word I’d use.”

 

After an awkward silence, Veronica clears her throat. “So how’s your house coming?”

 

When she saw him at Christmas, Logan was in the process of having a house built. He had excitedly shown her the incomplete, framed structure and acted like a bursting, proud papa every time she mentioned it. 

 

He doesn’t disappoint on this occasion. His eyes light up and she can hear the joy practically oozing out of his voice. 

 

“It’s done! Well, almost,” he amends. “I still have to do the final walk through and the punch list.”

 

She has no idea what this means but she loves anything that makes Logan this happy. 

 

“I’m working on furnishing it now, actually. I might drag you shopping one day while we’re here.” 

 

“Yeah, sure. I have a few things planned but I can probably squeeze that in.” She winks at him. “Grab your bourgeoisie duffel bag and follow me.”

 

Logan shoulders his bag and does as suggested. Veronica takes a few steps further into the room, arms outstretched. 

 

“This is the living room.” 

 

She sees Logan’s eyes rake over the lumpy brown corduroy couch in the middle of the room—more comfortable than it looks—and the tan recliner. The furniture is grouped around a squat, beat-up coffee table and positioned in front of the small TV, resting on a black console and flanked by tangled cords and a stack of DVDs. 

 

The walls are decorated with an eclectic assortment of posters—The Princess Bride hangs next to Green Day and there is the iconic New York Lunch skyscraper print as well. Cheap mini blinds, open now to let in the light, adorn the two windows and there is a rickety floor lamp in the corner. From the way his eyes linger on it, she can tell he wants to go examine the tall bookshelf lining the far wall. He always has been a closet bookworm. 

 

“It’s a small step above milk crates, but an important one,” she quips. 

 

Logan smiles. “It’s great.”

 

Veronica turns 180 to face the other direction. “Kitchen.” She points. 

 

The kitchen is not exactly another room, per se; more like an area along the back wall that contains a refrigerator, stovetop oven, and sink. Veronica likes the exposed brick on the wall, though, even if the space is not really conducive to baking. 

 

“My room is through there,” she points to a door off the right side of the kitchen. “That’s the bathroom,” another brown door next to hers, “and Katie’s room is over here.” She starts walking towards the door to the left of the kitchen and Logan follows. 

 

He sets his bag down on the full-size bed and looks around the small, brightly decorated space. The bed, which takes up most of the tidy room, is covered with a purple duvet and there are pictures of smiling college students in a collage above the desk in the corner.  Veronica walks over to the photos. 

 

“This is Katie,” she points out the brunette featured in all the snapshots.  “She’s a pretty great roommate, actually. Not too messy, doesn’t ask too many personal questions, and doesn’t mind me putting strangers in her room for Spring Break.” She gives him a smirk.

 

His smile spreads across his face slowly.  “I’m sure Katie’s lovely. Where is she this week, again?”

 

“She’s a freshman.  Went to visit her boyfriend in Indiana.” Veronica rolls her eyes. “That’s the one thing that I don’t love about her.  I haven’t met him but from what I’ve heard, Chad is a bit of a dick. She doesn’t seem to notice, though.”

 

“And have you looked him up yet?”

 

Veronica’s face loses its openness. “I don’t really do that anymore,”  

 

“Oh. Right. I mean, I knew you hadn’t mentioned cases, but—” Logan stumbles over his words in his awkwardness. “But I’m just surprised—”

 

She cuts him off. “That I could resist the urge to google?” 

 

“Well, yeah.”

 

Veronica huffs a sarcastic laugh. “Think of it as the new me.”

 

Logan’s eyes hold hers for a long moment. “I liked the old you.”

 

She clears her throat, looking down and breaking the moment. “Wanna see my room?”

 

“Sure.”

 

She turns on her heel and can practically feel Logan’s presence behind her. They cross the living room and she throws open the door to her bedroom with a “Ta-da!”

 

“It’s pretty standard, but I’m so thankful I don’t have to share. I suspect this only child,” she points her thumbs to her chest, “would make a terrible bunkmate.”

 

He laughs at her self-deprecating humor. “Yeah, probably me, too.”

 

He takes in her black and red mandala bedspread, sterile desk, and doesn’t comment on her pictures. While Katie’s room was practically bursting with snapshots, Veronica only has a few framed photos. There’s one of her and her dad in front of the Chrysler Building, one of her, Duncan, Lilly, and Logan at Homecoming sophomore year—god, they were babies—and one of her, Wallace, and Mac taken last spring in the Quad at Hearst.  She swallows and bites her lip, suddenly nervous to have his approval of her bedroom, of all things. 

 

He smiles reassuringly.  “Next time you blow off my phone calls to study, I will have a nice mental picture of you sitting right here.” He puts his hands on the back of her wooden desk chair.

 

“Hey! I never blow you off.”

 

“Of course not.” He looks slightly strangled and she blushes as her unintended innuendo dawns on her. 

 

Logan clears his throat. “Hey, is there anywhere in this town that serves decent Italian food?”

 

Veronica taps her chin and pretends to think. “Decent? Or excellent?”

 

“I’ll leave the choice up to you, Mars.”

 

______

 

She takes Logan to her favorite Italian restaurant, The Pasta Market. 

 

At the name, Logan baulks—“It doesn’t even sound remotely Italian,”—but she assures him that it’s homey and has the best cannolis in the greater metropolitan area. 

 

He eyes the place dubiously when they walk in. The tables are covered with the requisite red-and-white-checkered plastic tablecloths but instead of being dimly lit, like Luigi’s, it’s bright, with wooden chairs instead of cozy booths. 

 

“Veronica.” Logan stops in the entryway and grabs her hand. “I could take you to, like, an actual fancy Italian restaurant. You would love it and—”

 

She cuts him off and shakes her finger at him. “Nope. This is a college spring break week, Echolls. As such, nothing fancy is allowed.”

 

He groans and drops her hand.

 

“And trust me, the cannolis are to die for.”

 

They are quickly seated—Logan takes the seat across from her and not next to her like he used to when they were dating, she notices—and spend the meal talking about classes and gossipping about classmates from Neptune. Logan grudgingly admits that The Pasta Market is fantastic and Veronica can’t keep from making happy noises while eating the cannolis.

 

After their late dinner, they head back to Veronica’s apartment and make plans for the rest of their week together.  By the time they finish, it’s close to 1 a.m. and Veronica can’t stop yawning. Logan, ever the gentleman, gives her a weird guy half-hug with his arm around her shoulders—ugh—uses the bathroom, and heads into Katie’s room.  

 

Veronica brushes her teeth and works to convince herself that she’s not upset that he’s sleeping in the other room, that it doesn’t bother her that everything was plantonic today, and that she didn’t want him to make a move anyway. Even when he was dating Lilly, Logan had always been tactile with his friends. The lack of physical contact from him today just felt weird, and hits home to her that he really must not be interested in pursuing anything.

 

As she lies in bed, sleepless, staring at the ceiling, she admits to herself that this isn’t exactly what she expected for the week.

 

_______

  
  


At 6 a.m. Logan finally accepts defeat. He’s not falling back asleep. Not needing a lot of sleep is actually an asset in college but right now—between his usual nightmares and sleeping in a strange place—he just feels tired. He rubs his hands over his face, grabs his rather sizable copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare, and heads out to the living room. He figures out the coffee maker and settles in with a mug and his school book. 

 

After reading on the couch for about half an hour, Veronica blearily stumbles in from her room. She is wearing dog-patterned pajama pants and what looks suspiciously like his grey Hearst sweatshirt that coincidentally disappeared after Christmas break. Her hair is in a messy knot on top of her head and she simply waves at him and disappears behind the bathroom door. Veronica’s been called many things, but a morning person has never been one of them. 

 

He pads into her kitchen and fixes her a mug of coffee, remembering just how she likes it. Or at least, he thinks, she used to like an insane amount of cream and sugar. Maybe that’s changed. 

 

Veronica had been the last person he expected to see at a Hearst party after finals week. He was a little messed up after she transferred to Stanford without saying anything to him, but he picked up the pieces of his life and moved on, deciding that he couldn’t keep living for a girl who wouldn’t answer his calls, who probably wasn’t as great as he remembered. 

 

So he moved out of the Neptune Grand, started showing up to class, and decided to build a house. Mature, adult stuff. He felt like he was doing okay, keeping his head down, and definitely not thinking about Veronica—except when he got drunk but that only happened, like, once. Okay, maybe twice. 

 

When he saw her across the room at that party, it was like being punched in the stomach. After the initial shock, he decided he wanted her to see the new, improved Logan Echolls. Yeah, it was kind of a jackass move, but he didn’t anticipate actually enjoying her company—or kissing her under the Christmas decorations he convinced her was mistletoe.  

 

They had decided to be friends, to hang out and see what developed. He found himself looking forward to their phone calls. Something would happen—Dick would do something ridiculous or Wallace would crack him up—and he’d find himself thinking, “I can’t wait to text Veronica about that.”

 

He had been excited about this week with her, more excited than he wanted to admit. And then he got here yesterday, spun her around in his arms, and panicked. When he saw her face, he knew that he was a goner. Veronica had the power to rip his tissue paper heart into little shreds, to take his feelings and throw them on the floor and stomp all over them. Did he really want to chance that again? He wasn’t sure. So he pulled back, had fun hanging out with her as a friend and kept her—both literally and figuratively—at arms length. She didn’t say anything—not like she ever did—and now he doesn’t know where things stand with them or what his play is. 

 

Veronica chooses that moment to re-appear, marginally more awake, and shuffles over to him. She holds her arms out in her best zombie impression and moans, “Coffee.”  

 

With a smile, he places the mug in her outstretched hands and takes a sip of his second cup, leaning back against the kitchen counter and observing her. 

 

“Morning.”

 

“Mmm. Yeah.”  After a few fortifying sips, she manages, “How did you sleep last night?”

 

He shrugs. “Ehhh. You?”

 

“Same. Sleep is for the weak, apparently.”

 

“Yep.” He drums his fingers on her countertop. “Remind me again. What’s on the agenda for today?”

 

“Coffee. Breakfast. And then I have some ideas.” 

 

She flashes him a smirk and his stomach flips. Her particular brand of flirty teasing always gets to him—he doesn’t want to examine why right now—and she’s so adorable, he clenches his hands tightly around the coffee mug to keep from pulling her into his arms. She doesn’t seem to notice and pads over to the couch, examining his book, left open face-down on the cushion. 

 

“Whatcha reading?”

 

“Oh, it’s just for class.” 

 

He shrugs and pushes himself off the counter, moving towards her, drawn like a magnet.

 

“Which play?” She sits down on the couch and starts paging through his book, careful to keep her finger in his place, he notices, and skims his highlights.

 

Logan comes and sits next to her, a respectable distance away.  The couch sags a bit, though, sending them both closer to the middle—and each other, shoulders bumping slightly. He scoots nonchalantly towards the armrest.

 

“Well, we read a different play each week and spend the class time discussing it and then write a paper on it. It’s a lot of work but I’m liking it. The play this week is  _ Antony and Cleopatra _ . Not my favorite so far.”

 

She raises an eyebrow at him.  “Which one is your favorite?”

 

“ _ The Taming of the Shrew. _ ”

 

At her questioning look, he elaborates. “It’s a comedy, and kinda nice to read one where everyone doesn’t end up dead in the end.” His voice turns teasing. “Also, there’s something about a prickly, difficult girl that I just can’t resist.”

 

She sticks her tongue out at him and he laughs.

 

“So you like your literature classes?” she asks. He can’t tell if she is genuinely curious or fishing for something more.

 

“I really do. And I figure, I’m paying for higher learning and putting in the work. I might as well take classes I like.” He raises an eyebrow at her pointedly. “You should try it.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She sits up now, affronted, and crosses her legs underneath her. He notices that her socks don’t match—one is purple, one is pink, and the purple one has a hole in it. Her big toe is poking through.  

 

Logan heaves himself off the couch and goes back to the kitchen to retrieve his coffee mug. He takes a sip and adds another splash from the pot to warm it up.  

 

“C’mon, do you really like all that psychology crap? I thought you might take some photography classes.”

 

Veronica angles herself on the couch so that she can stare over the back of it and watch him in the kitchen. 

 

“Photography doesn’t pay the bills.”

 

“And psychology does?” He gestures at the coffee pot, wordlessly asking if she’d like a refill. She nods and he retrieves her mug from the table in front of the couch, bumping her playfully with his leg as he goes.  

 

“No, but it paves the way for law school. And grown-up lawyering jobs—those pay the bills.”

 

Logan concentrates on the ratio of cream, sugar, and coffee and brings the cup back to her outstretched hands.  

 

“Okay. All I’m saying is that you should take a class you actually enjoy next semester.” He holds up his hand, cutting off her protests, as he settles into the enveloping couch. “Not like how you actually enjoy abnormal psych because it makes you feel good about your own particular neuroses, or ethics because it’s interesting—”

 

“I’m not taking either of those classes,” she argues.

 

“But what I mean is,” he rushes on firmly, “take something creative, that’s just for fun.”

 

Veronica looks at him like he’s nuts but clears her throat and changes the subject. His girl’s never been subtle. 

 

“So. Plans for today include: tour of campus, picnic lunch at my favorite spot, and karaoke tonight with a few of my friends that are still around.”

 

Logan finishes the last sip of his coffee. 

 

“Okay. Let’s do this.” He sets his cup on the table decisively and stands. 

 

“I call first shower.”

 

_____

 

“So.” Veronica waves expansively around at the beautiful campus. “Here we are.”

 

Logan, standing on the Quad, takes in the famous stucco tiles, arches, and white Hoover Tower that soars above them.

 

“You’re right, Veronica. The campus is great.”

 

She laughs, twirling with her arms out in a spinning circle for a moment before collapsing on the neatly manicured lawn. Logan laughs, too, and lays down next to her to look up at the cloudy sky.

 

“I really love it here, Logan. Sometimes I feel guilty for not missing Hearst more. But I—”

 

He sits up and cuts her off. “No, I get it. I’m sorry if I’ve said things lately to make you feel that way. I know some of my texts, or my comments about Mac and Wallace—maybe I was trying to make you feel that way.”

 

She sits up next to him, crossed-legged so their knees touch, forming a diamond between them, and puts her hand on top of his.

 

“I can’t go back to Hearst. You understand that, right?”

 

He stares deep into her blue eyes and squeezes her hand reassuringly. “Yeah, I do. After everything that happened last year, I get it. Maybe we both needed our own versions of a fresh start to move on from…” 

 

He trails off but he can see in her eyes that Veronica understands what he means.

 

“It’s fun to see you here.” He waves around at the Quad. “I’m glad I could come visit. I like being able to picture you on campus.”

 

She gives him a wide, genuine smile and flops back down onto the grass, hands linked over her stomach. “I don’t know if this makes sense, but it just...feels like a better fit for me here.”

 

“Is that why you stopped taking cases?” 

 

He keeps his eyes on Veronica’s face but she continues to stare up at the clouds. A muscle in her jaw clenches and when she does finally speak, her voice is so quiet he has to strain to hear her.

 

“It just...cost me too much. What if—what if something had happened to Mac, or Wallace, or...you? It cost my dad his job and I just, I had to cut it out of my life, Logan.” 

 

She closes her eyes and tries to hide her anguish but he can see it on her face clearly. He lays down next to her on his side, head propped up in his hand, and wants to trail a finger over her furrowed brow but he holds himself in check.

 

“You cut me out for a while, too. Has everything fallen apart now that you let me back in?”

 

She doesn’t answer but looks at him in surprise and he can tell she’s thinking about what he said, until a big fat raindrop lands on her forehead. She jumps up and he scrambles after, as the sky practically opens and it starts pouring down rain.

 

“Oh, no!” 

 

Veronica grabs his hand and tugs him after her, running to find shelter under the stone arches. It’s not a long dash but the rain is coming in sheets and they are both absolutely soaked by the time they make it to the overhang. The pounding rain echos in the cavernous space. Logan shakes his head like a dog and laughs at their predicament.

 

His laughing must be contagious because Veronica starts to giggle and then can’t stop, either.  Their sides are both heaving and Veronica doubles over, wiping her wet hair out of her eyes as she laughs.

 

“Wanna wait for it to stop?” she yells over the noisy rain.

 

Logan looks down at himself, his jeans and t-shirt are soaked and sticking to him. Veronica looks much the same. He shrugs and gives her a lopsided smile.

 

“We might as well walk back to your place. It’s not like we’re gonna get any wetter!”

 

She grabs his hand again, rainwater glistening on her cheeks, and smiles mischievously.  

 

“Remember that time in 8th grade where we splashed in every puddle on the way home from the park to piss off Lilly?”

 

He laughs and runs his hand through his wet hair. “I had forgotten that.” He raises an eyebrow in challenge. “Wanna see who can jump in more puddles?”

 

“You’re on.”

 

They make their way back to Veronica’s apartment, purposely jumping in every puddle that they can find, holding hands and laughing. Logan loses count of the number of strange looks they receive from other pedestrians. He’s having too much fun to care.

 

When they arrive outside her building, they take off their shoes and carry them, making their way carefully up the three slippery flights of stairs to her home. Veronica fishes her keys out of her wet jeans pocket and opens the door, panting, and they spill inside.

 

His breath catches as she turns to him in the entryway, eyes glittering with happiness. She’s a soaking wet mess, her hair is matted to her head in stringy pieces, and he can see goosebumps break out over her skin. She’s never looked more beautiful and he wonders what would happen if he were to kiss her.  

 

He swallows down the lump in his throat and rubs his hands along her arms briskly.  “You look cold. I’m gonna change into dry clothes while you take a hot shower.”

 

He doesn’t manage to turn away in time before the happiness drains from her face as he flees to Katie’s room.

_____

 

They forego the picnic and instead order in for lunch. Logan suggests a nap, but they both end up in the living room, reading and doing school work.  He wishes he was lying on the couch with his head in her lap, but he’s in the beige armchair, sitting across the room from her on the couch.

 

He’s pretty sure, after everything that has happened this afternoon, that he doesn’t have to worry that Veronica just likes him as a friend. The ‘come hither’ looks that she had been shooting him after their impromptu rain dance weren’t exactly subtle. He wants her; she wants him. Why is he making this into more than it has to be? Because he’s had his heart broken by Veronica Mars too many times before to not be wary. He knows he can’t be anything but all in with her. He’s not sure it’s even possible for Veronica to feel that way about a relationship anymore.

 

After reading the same page five times in a row, Logan finds his bookmark and closes his book. He stands, stretching, and announces that he’s going to take a quick shower before they go out for the night. Maybe it will help clear his mind.

_____

 

“So.” Veronica gives him the low-down as they leave her apartment and walk to the bar where they plan to meet her friends. “The big ‘college bar’ is The Patio, mmm, maybe also Coconuts.” She rolls her eyes, disgust evident on her face. “But trust me, Fred’s Place is far superior when it comes to drinking establishments.”

 

“Of course. I trust you to always know the best places to eat, Mars.” He bumps her shoulder companionably.

 

“And I know how you feel about people,” she goes on with a smirk, “but it’s a small crew due to Spring Break and really, they are fun.”

 

Logan gives her a put-upon sigh. 

 

“People. As long as you vouch for them, though, I’m sure it’s fine. Wanna give me the guest list so I can try to keep everyone straight?”

 

“Sure.” She starts ticking name off on her fingers as they walk. “There’s Taylor, her boyfriend Jake, Kayla, Morgan, and Caleb. I was in a study group with Taylor and Kayla and got to know the rest of the group through them. Caleb’s kind of, well—you can handle him just fine.”

 

He grabs her arm to quickly tug her out of the way of a speeding biker, pulling her closer to him than they had been since he arrived. 

 

“Thanks,” she murmurs, her hand on his forearm.  She looks down and pats the soft leather of his black bomber jacket.

 

“Is this new? I don’t remember it.”

 

He adjusts the jacket over his fitted grey t-shirt.  “Yep. What do you think?”

 

“It’s not orange.” She sticks her tongue out at him. “I like it.” 

 

She smirks and stalks off, looking over her shoulder at him when she realizes he’s still rooted to the spot. He can’t seem to stop checking out her ass in her tight black jeans. The slinky red halter top isn’t helping much, either.

 

“C’mon!”

 

They don’t have much farther to walk to the bar, and upon arrival, Logan agrees; it’s practically a perfect spot. It’s dimly lit and the tall bar runs the whole length of one wall. The space behind the bar is covered with mirrors, sports posters, and thousands of glass bottles of liquor. He spies a pool table, foosball, and a few high top tables in the middle of the space by the karaoke screen. There’s also a small dance floor, populated with a few eager couples. 

 

Veronica makes her way through the scattered crowd to a group of college students at one of the tall tables, and he follows in her wake. One of the girls sees her and waves, hopping off her stool to throw her arms around Veronica. 

 

“Hey, guys. This is Logan.” She gestures at him and he bears her friends’ scrutiny as they rearrange the seats to make room. 

 

Veronica’s right; he doesn’t necessarily love people. He doesn’t hate them, exactly, but his life has never really been ‘normal’ and it helps that Veronica knows this. His dad was a two-time Oscar winner who slept with and murdered his girlfriend. It’s hard not to be a household name after that. Even though he’s carefully kept himself out of the press for years now, he still appreciates that Veronica didn’t use his last name when she introduced him. 

 

He shoots her a grateful smile as she points to Taylor—tall brunette; Jake—guy wrapped around Taylor; Kayla—pretty with curls; Morgan—blonde; and Caleb—floppy hair—and does his best to remember their names. 

 

He offers to buy a round because it’s not a bad way to make a decent first impression, and when he returns from the bar, Caleb has taken his spot by Veronica and has casually thrown his arm over her shoulders, clearly trying to stake his claim. He raises an eyebrow.  _ So that’s how it’s gonna be _ , he thinks. 

 

Veronica looks uncomfortable, though, so that’s a point in his favor. He slides into Caleb’s now-vacated chair across from her, and she mouths, “save me” at him. 

 

With a smirk, Logan snakes his hand across the table and grabs hers, interlocking their fingers. 

 

“Dance with me?” he asks. 

 

He’s not a terrible dancer. Thanks to many embarrassing lessons with his mom when he was younger, he has a decent sense of rhythm; while his knowledge of the foxtrot has yet to come in handy, he’s comfortable with lots of different styles of music and steps. It feels like a million years ago that he went to clubs with Veronica and Lilly, but he knows he can hold his own. 

 

Veronica’s answering smile lights up her face as she lets go of his hand, nodding and hopping off her chair. Jake and Taylor decide to join them, so that makes it less awkward. 

 

The music selection is pretty typical. They dance to something by Rihanna, he thinks, and then Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. Not his first choices, perhaps, but Veronica’s wide smile and sparkling eyes make it totally worth it, and he feels his heart swoop in his chest as she flops back down into her seat, flushed and giggling. She takes a gulp of her beer and then with an apologetic glance in his direction, she’s dragged off to the bathroom with the other women. 

 

Caleb takes this opportunity to interrogate him. Logan’s not surprised; this dude has been eyeing him all night. Unbeknownst to Caleb, though, Logan has survived far more intimidating interrogations and is not phased by it.

 

Caleb flips his hair out of his eyes and leads with: “So how long have you known Veronica?”

 

Logan refrains from snorting as he tells him, “Since we were twelve.”

 

Caleb sputters on his beer. “Oh.” 

 

Logan has not outgrown his jackass tendencies enough to hide his smirk. But Caleb keeps trying. 

 

“And you go to Hearst?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Doesn’t Ronnie have a friend that plays basketball there? You should check out one of his games sometime.”

 

Logan just raises his eyebrows. “Maybe I will.” 

 

“So did you get a hotel for the weekend?”

 

Douchey Caleb continues his line of questioning. Is he trying to figure out if Logan’s dating Veronica? Logan knows he’s better than this...but he can’t resist playing mind games with the guy. Too bad Caleb is clearly lacking the necessary equipment…

 

“Oh, no, I’m staying with Veronica.” Logan gives him a satisfied smile.

 

“I just thought, you might be too good to sleep on someone’s couch.”

 

A few years ago, that kind of comment would have earned this guy a fist in his face. Now, Logan just widens his smile and bobs his eyebrows.

 

“Don’t worry. I’m not on the couch.” 

 

Which is true. But Caleb doesn’t need to know he’s sleeping in Katie’s room. 

 

Logan claps him on the shoulder—yeah, slightly harder than necessary because jackass tendencies don’t vanish overnight—and turns to see the girls are back from the bathroom, announcing that it’s time to plan their karaoke selections. 

 

Veronica tucks herself into his side and entwines their fingers together, and he doesn’t know if they are pretending to date to keep Caleb away or if it’s for real, but he does know that’s a dangerous place to be. He should probably pull her aside and ask what the hell is going on, but instead he leans down and whispers in her ear.

 

“You do remember I can’t carry a tune, right?”

 

She gives him a faux-shocked look that morphs into a wicked smile. “I could never forget how terrible of a singer you are. I’ll carry us, I promise. Sing a duet with me?”

 

She turns her big, pleading blue eyes on him and he’s not sure he can deny her anything. 

 

“As long as you pick something good,” he agrees. “Maybe something I can Yul Brynner?” 

 

She laughs, and he loves that she always gets his references. “Pretty sure they don’t have any songs from ‘The King and I.’”

 

“That’s a shame. Nobody respects the classics anymore.”

 

Veronica shakes her head. “Kids these days.”

 

She winks and saunters over to the karaoke list, and he tries not to panic. 

 

When she comes back, she refuses to tell him what they are singing, just insists that he needs to be surprised. She distracts him with another dance, though, until it’s their turn, so it’s not too bad. 

 

The announcer calls their names, and Veronica grabs his hand, dragging him over to the karaoke stage. She pushes up on her toes and whispers their plan in his ear and he chuckles. The first notes of the familiar tune sound, and Veronica holds the microphone up to her mouth and starts singing in a deep, false voice. 

 

“Now I’ve had the time of my life…”

 

Logan chimes in with his falsetto version of the ladies part, “And I owe it all to you…”

 

Their role-reversal karaoke is a hit with the crowd, and after their grand finale and a bow— to much applause—Logan pulls Veronica close and kisses the top of her head. He loves Veronica, all facets of her. He has for so long, he doesn’t even think about it anymore. But ‘Stanford Veronica’ seems more carefree, more fun, than he remembers seeing her in a long time. He hates that she had to leave Neptune, but he acknowledges that it truly was the best thing for her. He’s pretty sure her dark side is still there, lurking beneath the surface, and he doesn’t want her to feel like she has to deny it. But, having moments of genuine fun like this, too—well, he knows how hard-fought they are and he’s proud of her.

 

He gives the top of her head another kiss and keeps her tucked into his side for the rest of the night.

 

_____

 

After multiple games of pool, and several more rounds of karaoke, Veronica and Logan stumble into her apartment, slightly tipsy. When he bumps into her in the darkness as she fumbles for the light switch along the wall, he puts his hands around her waist and hears her breath catch. 

 

“Sorry,” he whispers. 

 

He’s pretty sure that her fingers have found the light switch by now, but she doesn’t turn it on.  They stay enveloped in the darkness, and he moves his hand up to cup her face. 

 

“Logan,” she murmurs as he runs his fingers along her soft cheek. He can feel her lean into his touch. Maybe it’s the beer he drank, maybe it’s the karaoke adrenaline high, maybe it’s smelling her perfume again, or maybe it’s the way she says his name, but he cups her cheek firmly and throws his reservations out the window. 

 

She pushes up on her tiptoes and presses a tiny kiss to the corner of her mouth. It reminds him of their first kiss, so long ago, and it feels inevitable that he pulls her back to him, mouth meeting hers in a deep kiss.  

 

“Mmm,” Veronica mumbles against his mouth as they pull apart. “Why didn’t we do that 24 hours ago?”

 

Logan huffs a soft laugh. “Yeah, sorry. I got a little nervous.”

 

“Performance anxiety?” 

 

He can’t see her in the darkness but he can bet that she’s giving him a coy look. 

 

“I don’t remember that ever being a problem for you,” she continues, teasing.

 

She entwines their fingers and leads him, still in the darkness, to her bedroom door. She clears her throat. 

 

“My bed is fairly small and uncomfortable. Wanna share it with me tonight?”

 

“Hell yes.” 

 

———

 

As Logan wakes the next morning, tangled up with Veronica in her too-small bed, he realizes he has two choices. He can either stay in this little bubble of happiness until it pops—and experience tells him that it will definitely pop—or he can grow a pair and talk to Veronica. He takes a deep breath and chooses the adult option. 

 

“V’ronica,” he mumbles sleepily as he nuzzles the back of her neck. God, he loves the way her hair smells. Like her fruity shampoo but also just—her. 

 

“Veronica, we need to talk.”

 

She stirs and rolls over to face him, and that’s better. Her blue eyes are still a little unfocused, and he thinks maybe that will help; maybe if she’s not quite awake she won’t run away. 

 

He runs a hand over her tousled blonde hair and caresses her cheek.  He really doesn’t want to do this but he knows it’s better now—before his heart can get crushed any farther—than later. 

 

She raises an eyebrow and he swallows, gathering his courage.

 

“I really love being your friend again, and I’d really like to stay the rest of the week, but if last night was a mistake, I should probably go.”

 

Her forehead wrinkles, and he worries that she’s going start yelling. But then it smooths, and she rolls on top of him with a small smile.  

 

“Not a mistake.” 

 

She gives him a quick, chaste kiss.  

 

Logan lets himself relax a fraction.  

 

“So by that do you mean…?”

 

“I mean, let’s do this thing, Logan.”

 

Now it’s his turn to kiss her, deeply and thoroughly this time. They pull apart, breathless, and he can’t keep the smile off his face.

 

Veronica continues as if he hadn’t interrupted her.  “I know the long distance thing isn’t ideal, but I’m willing to work on it, to make some sacrifices this time around.” She gulps and her face is more vulnerable than he’s seen it in a long time. “I just—I want to be with you.”

 

It’s not ‘I love you;’ he knows this. But from Veronica, it’s pretty damn good.

 

“I want to be with you, too, Bobcat.” He places a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I got here yesterday and I panicked and—” he breaks off and clears his throat. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. But are you actually willing to talk about real things? Because long-distance—well, from what I understand it’s mostly talking and less,” he gestures at their entwined bodies, “of this.”

 

She’s about to get offended, he can see it on her face, and he feels it in the way her body stiffens.  He tightens his arms around her, a reflex, to try to keep her from her usual response of running.

 

She opens her mouth to retort, he’s sure, but then closes it. “Yeah, you’re right. I kinda suck at talking about real stuff sometimes. But I want to get better. And you—you don’t suck at it. You know me better than anyone, Logan. So if anybody can help me with feelings and crap, it’s you.”

 

“Succinctly put.”

 

She smirks. “It’s all part of my charm.”  Then she clears her throat and turns serious.  

 

“We’ve tried other people and we’ve tried friends, we’ve tried whatever this is in-between…. Logan, I want to be all-in this time with you. I was so worried yesterday when you didn’t...when nothing happened. I realized I really, really, wanted to be with you.” She blushes delicately and gestures at their intimate position. “I’m looking forward to spending the week with you like this and I can’t wait to come visit you after you move in. The first thing I think about when I wake up is when I can talk to you, and I want you to be the last person I talk to before I fall asleep.” 

 

Her serious look clears and she shoots him a smirk. “Is that enough feelings crap for you?”

 

He kisses her again, hopefully conveying how excited he is that she’s trying to be more open for him. He’s pretty sure she picks up on his excitement, at least, because she begins rubbing against his growing erection.

 

He pulls away, breathing hard. “Um. Breakfast now or…?”

 

“Nah. Let’s work up a good appetite first.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to MarshmellowBobcat for beta'ing this for me and keeping me out of the Daniel Tiger fandom! And to Nevertothethird for organizing this fabulous week :)


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